When Math Doesn't Solve Every Problem
by Acerbus Animus
Summary: When Charlie finds the only living witness to an investigation currently haunting the minds of his older brother and friends, his only choise is to bring the person in. There's a couple of major problems...Megan Reeves isn't enough.[NumbersXCriminalMinds]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own the plot, "Romy", and "Them". I do not own either _Numb3rs_ or _Criminal Minds_.

"Get back here, you bitch!"

She stumbled over the long legs of the jeans. The bottoms of them had been reduced to shreds, barely covering her bare feet that were move than likely, bleeding by then. The once black t-shirt that had fit her frame closely, but now hung upon her emaciated skeleton like a damp, grey rag. There were ugly bruises on her arms ranging from the new blackish purple to the healing stomach-acid yellow.

The skin was too discoloured to show the cuts and scabs.

Pain tore through her already tensed nerves every time she moved. A bullet grazed her hand. She ducked reflexively, although a part of her realized this wouldn't do any good if the gunman was aiming for her legs.

Finding herself on the campus of a college, she ran to the closest building. If she was lucky maybe she could hide in a trash can or in a closet.

Leaping up the steps like some kind of gazelle, she stumbled at the top when another bullet tore a hole in the jeans close to her knee. She winced out of reflex and continued running. The animal instincts were on the wire; her hair was raised and her muscles were ready to snap from being so tensed.

She practically flew into the hallway of the large college. Her feet carried her to the closest open classroom. The light was on; maybe the professor's presence would scare the pursuer away. That hope fled as soon as she stepped inside.

The room was completely empty of any living being.

A door slammed somewhere nearby; too nearby. She dove under the teacher's desk and positioned herself so she was braced against the wood. There was no visible sign that she was there at all.

The light turned off and the door was shut. She ignored the voices and just concentrated on keeping her breathing as slow and quiet as possible. The bolt-lock slid into place. She didn't relax yet. She couldn't let herself relax. Something was going to happen and if she relaxed she wouldn't be prepared. She couldn't get this far only to get herself caught again.

When she finally thought maybe she could relax a little bit, the light coming in from the window of the door changed. She could see the silhouette of a head looking in at her; it was desperately trying to find her. Like a beast hunting for food, it wasn't going to give up on the search for her. It would look for her until it found her.

Then she would never have the opportunity to escape from it ever again.

The head moved; it was going to search the other rooms for its little prey.

She relaxed the taut muscles until she was lying on the floor under the desk. It was going to be her little sanctuary until she was sure she was safe. Then she would leave and make a break for it again.

Until then, she would just relax.

Relax…


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I no own, you no sue.

She woke up to find that the light was back on. Instantly, she tensed up and prepared to flee. Every fibre in her being was praying that the silhouette from the night before wasn't back.

She ignored that God had long since stopped listening to her.

A pair of shoes entered her extremely limited view. To her relief they were newer and obviously more expensive. The shoes couldn't belong to the silhouette.

The chair was pulled out and she squirmed to back up against the wood out of the way of the oncoming legs. Perhaps this stranger was short enough so that she wouldn't be in the way.

Lady Luck _really_ didn't like her.

"What!"

She flinched at the loud male voice. Her eyes flashed as fear-pumped-adrenaline began to course through her veins. She remained motionless when a face with dark brown eyes and curly hair appeared.

"Oh God!"

Her muscles were beginning to protest being tensed up in such a confined space.

"Are you alright?" the man asked.

She didn't move.

"Come out of there. I…I just want to help you."

She pushed even more away and tried to blend into the wood.

As his hand reached in as if to grab her, she lashed out with her sharpened fingernails and snarled like a rabid animal. She grazed his kin before the hand jerked back.

"Woah!"

"Charlies, what are you doing?"

Her eyes flickered in the direction of the new voice. The nostrils of her nose flared as if to catch a new scent.

"There's a girl under my desk," the first man said. "She's covered with bruises, but won't come out."

"So help her?"

"She scratched me."

The hand she'd caught was raised over the desk so she couldn't see it anymore. Her eyes darted around in a desperate search for a way to escape. She had to get out of there.

"Try luring her out with food, Charles," the second voice suggested. "It works with animals on those nature shows."

"She's not an animal, Larry," the first man said with a sigh.

The grumbling of her stomach at the mention of food was loud enough to betray her. The man stood up and the feet shifted away from the direct path of escape. However, she was way too wary to even still attempt an escape. The other voice was probably not at the door, but silhouette could be waiting anywhere nearby to jump out and snatch her up again.

She preferred being under the desk, even if that meant being squashed by feet and legs.

Suddenly the shoes were back. The sound of paper being crinkled reached her ears, but she was desperately tried not to let her curiosity get the best of her. It was not possible to let herself get caught. Not now.

A chip appeared on the floor just inside the shadows of the desk. She blinked, but snatched it and shoved it into her mouth in one quick movement. She didn't really even chew it before swallowing.

Another appeared in the exact same place and she snatched it again.

That was followed by another and another.

By the fourth one, she had slowed only to chew and actually _taste_ the food. The need to eat and fill the empty chasm of her stomach began to erode away at the precision of her other instincts.

The fifth chip was a few inches out in the light. She ignored it and grabbed it. The sharp intake of brath was ignored by her. She wanted another chip.

It appeared even farther out than the first. She had to stretch to actually reach.

"Charles! Look at how discoloured her arm is," the second voice exclaimed in alarm. "We need to call 9-1-1!"

"No. Call Don."

"But—"

"Do it!"

Footsteps echoed out of the room. She didn't notice and even if she had, she wouldn't have cared. She wanted more chips.

_Now_.

The bag of chips clattered to the floor, effectively scattering the precious food around the linoleum.

All caution was thrown to the wind as she dashed out to the contents. Her bare feet left remains of dried blood from the scabs on the floor where she stepped.

She began shoveling the greasy junk food into her math. She had no idea when she would be able to eat again. They rarely fed her…

She froze as the realization of what had happened actually hit her. The trap had been set and she'd fallen for the bait. It was a huge, stupid mistake.

Now she would pay.

He arms around her waist were only half of a surprise. She began to buck in the attempt to break free. It was a losing battle. She was still weak from lack of food.

"Shh…" the first voice whispered in her ear. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I want to help."

She stopped bucking, too exhausted, but still tried to get away. Her constant squirming extracted a slightly husky grunt.

"Please relax. I gave you food. I just want you to get…some help."

She stopped fighting and slumped in his arms. He made a vague noise in surprise, picking her up and carried her over to another chair.

"Charles!"

As the owner of the second voice rushed into the room, she balked. The attempts to escape were strengthened by the sudden rush of fear.

"Larry, calm down. You're scaring her."

The other stopped and stared at her for a moment. Disgust and sympathy flickered in his gaze.

"She's covered in blood, Charles."

The one behind her sighed. "She's also extremely underfed. I think that those chips are the first thing she's had in days, if not weeks."

She didn't respond, warily watching the other man. Although he had startled her, something said that she could relax around him. She already trusted her captor. She really just wanted to go back to sleep if she wasn't going to be fed.

"I got a hold of your brother, but he said they were still too busy with a new case involving a serial killer they couldn't seem to catch. He says that if you think it's necessary, to bring her there."

She could almost taste the anger radiating from the man whose arms she was resting in. She wanted to believe she was safe.

"How am I supposed to do that? There's no way except to walk."

The other sighed. "I suppose I could drive you there. It isn't too far away."

"Yeah, but classes are going to start soon and—wait. _You_ are willing to drive us? She might make your seats filthy." The tone had changed from anger to slightly teasing.

"Yes, well, a star becomes a supernova and the only—"

"Larry? Let's go."

She found herself being carried out of the building, only stopped once to lock the classroom door. The doors she had passed through seemed almost more inviting during the day.

The car was old and a lot cleaner than she could even remember being. She just blinked as her newly named saviour just kept her seated on his lap.

She nuzzled her face into his neck, ignored the way he got all tense, and sighed.

The darkness took her willingly.


End file.
